1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus and a method for forming a variety of woodworking joints in adjacent workpieces which are to be joined. Some of the joints that may be formed by the apparatus and method of this invention are dovetail joints, box joints, blind dovetail joints, splined joints, and mock dovetail joints.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well-known to provide various types of templates and jigs to be utilized with woodworking cutting tools in order to cut joint configurations into adjoining workpieces to thereby join the adjoining workpieces. U.S. Pat. No. 3,109,466, U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,730, U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,344, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,408 all disclose examples of various templates and jigs which may be utilized to pass a cutting tool, such as router, over the template to guide the cutting tool in order to form a woodworking joint.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,272,244, U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,916, British Pat. No. 531,302, and German Pat. No. 723,183 all show examples of complete machines utilized to form a specific type of woodworking joint. In these machines, a cutting tool protrudes upwardly and follows a guide or template to produce a desired woodworking joint. U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,776 discloses a separate apparatus for producing splined corner joints.
While the prior art suggests various arrangements for making one type of joint in a specific fashion, I have found that it is desirable to be able to form a variety of woodworking joints by utilizing a common apparatus which requires only different templates and a rearrangement of the workpiece relative to the templates to obtain a large number of different joint configurations. A publication entitled "The Router, Revised Edition" by Robert R. Rosendahl published in 1986 shows at pages 55-99, inclusive, various methods of utilizing a router to form certain joints and other woodworking configurations. This publication does not, however, disclose a comprehensive scheme for forming a variety of woodworking joints with a router.
There is a need in the woodworking art for providing a simple, inexpensive apparatus for forming a variety of woodworking joints and a unique method of utilizing such an apparatus.